The New Order
by Mistress Nika
Summary: Before his sixth year, Harry is taken from the Dursleys. A new order has taken it upon themselves to teach Harry to not only be powerful, but to be the leader the wizarding world needs. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The New Order  
**Author:** Mistress Nika  
**Rating:** PG-13 (because I can never keep it completely clean)  
**Summary:** Before his sixth year, Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by someone he does not expect. He is then swept into a world of magic where Light and Dark are not always Good and Evil. The Crimson Order, led by the mysterious Mage Queen, have taken it upon themselves to teach Harry to not only be powerful, but to be the leader the wizarding world needs.  
**Warnings:** OOCness (though I hope it's explained), OC's (only supporting the HP cast), slash, passing twincest, bad language, Powerful!Harry, DarkButNotEvil!Harry, possible hints of sex and dirty jokes  
**Definite Couples:** Ron/Hermoine, minor Fred/George, Sirius/Remus  
**Possible Couples:** Harry/Severus, Harry/Draco, Harry/Lucius, Harry/Voldemort, Harry/Percy, Tonks/Hermoine, Hermoine/Luna

* * *

It all started one day. 

"Boy! Get the door!" Vernon bellowed from the living room as rather insistent knocking sounded through the house for the second time.

The fifteen year old Harry Potter left the sanctuary of his room and dragged his feet sullenly down the stairs towards the front door.

"Why can't you get it, you great fat whale?" he muttered to himself. "Just once in fourteen years. Not like the exercise would kill you. Then again, it probably would."

Pulling open the door as yet another round of knocks began, Harry looked into the face of their caller and gasped.

"Percy?"

Percy Weasley stumbled where he'd been leaning on the door. He was dressed in what could possibly have been several muggle suits pieced together in a display that would have made Dumbledore proud, lemon yellow the predominant color. Crammed on his head was a green fedora that clashed something horrible with his red hair. His shoes were bright red and floppy, appearing five sizes too big. If the outfit alone didn't scream 'wizard' to the occupants of Number Four Privet Drive, the fact that his wand was poking out of his jacket pocket was a pretty good hint.

"Hello, Harry." he greeted him with a smile.

Harry continued to gape in shock, not only at the sudden appearance of one of his best friend's less beloved brothers, but also at his odd attire.

"Percy, what...are you wearing?"

Looking down at himself, the older wizard looked slightly confused and tugged on a lapel.

"What? Not muggle enough?"

Shaking his head to clear it, Harry responded, "You look like your name is Bobo and you just escaped from the circus. I'm half expecting a seltzer attack!"

A scowl crossed his face.

"This is the last time I take anything supposedly 'muggle' from dad." he muttered. With obvious effort, he replaced the scowl with an overly innocent smile. "Can I come in?"

Glancing back into the house, Harry weighed the pros and cons of the situation. If he let Percy in, he'd have to face his uncle's wrath. On the other hand, if he refused, Percy would most likely make a scene before just spelling the door open and entering anyway. On the other-other hand, he could ask him to explain his business outside where they would get stared at by neighbors and passerby, but it would only be the Dursley's disturbed nephew being weird again. Option three was sounding pretty good.

"No." Harry replied quickly, pushing Percy back and following him out. Closing the door behind them, Harry just hoped Vernon wouldn't lock him out. "How about you tell me what this is all about out here?"

Percy looked a bit put out, but otherwise said, "Very well. The Dark Lord has discovered a way to dissolve the wards around this house, therefore you are in danger. I've been sent by the Order to collect you. You're to collect your things, _all _your things. Don't leave anything behind. Your fireplace has been temporarily connected to the floo network. I'm to take you to headquarters immediately."

Harry's head spun with the information. He was in danger. Death Eaters were going to attack his house with nothing to stop them. Percy Weasley was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and was here to take him to Order Headquarters, away from the Dursleys. Permanently, he assumed. The wards were going to fail. The magic of his mother's love was going to fail. How?

"Harry!" Percy's slightly irritated voice interrupted his thoughts. "There's no time for this! Go get your things! I'll deal with your muggles."

Not giving him a chance to respond, Percy reached past him and opened the door, pushing him inside and towards the stairs before heading into the living room.

After a moment's hesitation, Harry rushed up the stairs and into his room. Luckily his trunk was still mostly packed and he threw clothes, books and other miscellaneous items into it at a quick pace. Crawling under his bed, he pried up the loose floorboard and collected his most prized possessions; his wand, the Marauders Map, and his invisibility cloak. Placing the map and cloak into the trunk carefully, he closed it and stuck his wand in his back pocket. He then juggled his trunk, his beloved Firebolt and Hedwig's cage with a seriously ruffled and angry looking Hedwig inside down the stairs and into the living room.

There all three Dursley's sat side-by-side on the couch, little smiles on their faces and their glassy eyes staring unseeing at Percy who had his wand out and was looking anxious.

Noticing Harry, he crossed the room and quickly shrunk the trunk and broom. With a quick _'Alohamora'_ to the padlocked cage, Hedwig was free and perching on Harry's shoulder. Percy then shrunk the cage as well and handed all three to him.

"We're not going straight to headquarters." Percy said as he walked towards the fireplace while taking a bag out of his pocket. "There have been problems with people trying to floo there getting rerouted and ending up in odd locations. Instead we'll go to the Leaky Cauldron. From there we'll fly to headquarters."

"What happened to _them_?" Harry asked, gesturing to the Dursleys.

An odd smile crossed Percy's lips for a moment as he glanced at them. "Nothing much. Just a little magic."

Somehow, the tone he used didn't sit right with Harry. However, before he could question him further, he was jerked forward by the arm and given a handful of floo powder.

"Keep ahold of Hedwig. Don't want to lose her. Now, to the Leaky Cauldron."

"But my things!" Harry protested and Percy quickly handed them to him.

"Now _go_!"

"The Leaky Cauldron!" Harry cried and threw the powder.

As the boy disappeared in emerald flames, Percy smirked and looked at the Dursleys.

"Now remember. There's no such thing as magic." he said, then followed the boy into the flames.

---

Seconds later, the wards surrounding Number Four Privet Drive disappeared causing alarms to ring out in two different locations. Less than ten minutes later, over two dozen aurors arrived and began scouring the house. Five minutes after that, Dumbledore and several members of the Order of the Phoenix appeared.

Tonks, upon spotting the headmaster, ran over to him.

"He's gone!" she immediately cried out. "Harry's gone! Just poof! Disappeared!"

"Now now." Dumbledore said gently. "Perhaps he just went out for a stroll and unknowingly activated the alarms."

"Doubt it." Mad-eye Moody said, coming to Tonks side. "Found the Dursleys inside, just sitting on the couch and not moving. Thought they were dead at first. They had these creepy little smiles on their faces, like someone under the Imperious Curse. We got them snapped out of it and that fat muggle started yelling at us about breaking into his house. Wanted to know who we are. Told him we're aurors and asked where Harry was. He just got quiet then, said 'There's no such thing as magic' and sat back down."

"Every time we ask about Harry, they repeat the same thing." Tonks chimed in. "'There's no such thing as magic.' We even tried to demonstrate magic to them, but they just ignored it. Someone really did a number on them and I doubt it was Harry. Which means another person was in there, and they kidnapped Harry!"

The aging wizard placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder and said, "We must not jump to conclusions, my dear. There could be many explanations other than kidnapping. I promise you that whoever has Harry had no malevolent intents toward him. If they did, the wards would have prevented them from entering. For now, we must gather information and begin the search, not panic."

Tonks nodded and immediately ran off to ask about interrogating the Dursleys under Veritaserum.

Dumbledore turned to the silent woman beside him.

"Minerva, this is not good."

---

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace into an unfamiliar room. The first thing he noticed was the lack of people and noise that the Leaky Cauldron always had in abundance. It was totally dark and silent with only one heavy wooden door before him. Hedwig hooted in what could have been nervousness and shifted on his shoulder.

From behind him, another person entered the room via floo.

Percy walked calmly out of the fireplace with an uncharacteristic smirk, his eyes shining yellow like a cat's in the dark.

Harry could think of only one thing to say.

"Crap."


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The New Order  
**Author:** Mistress Nika  
**Rating:** PG-13 (because I can never keep it completely clean)  
**Summary:** Before his sixth year, Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by someone he does not expect. He is then swept into a world of magic where Light and Dark are not always Good and Evil. The Crimson Order, led by the mysterious Mage Queen, have taken it upon themselves to teach Harry to not only be powerful, but to be the leader the wizarding world needs.  
**Warnings:** OOCness (though I hope it's explained), OC's (only supporting the HP cast), slash, passing twincest, bad language, Powerful!Harry, DarkButNotEvil!Harry, possible hints of sex and dirty jokes  
**Couples:** Ron/Hermoine, minor Fred/George, Sirius/Remus  
**Possible Couples:** Harry/Percy, Harry/Draco, Harry/Lucius, Hermoine/Luna (I'm leaning towards some Harry/Percy before paring him permanantly with someone else)  
**Disclaimer:** Jo, call me. I mean it. I'm sure we can work something out. 'pouts pathetically'

Some questions asked last chapter:

_So, Percy's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I noticed he never said which Order, or which headquarters._  
Nope! He purposefully never said exactly what Order he was a member of! That way he didn't exactly lie to Harry, but didn't tell the truth either.

_It sounds like Percy hypnotized the Dursleys!_  
Something like that.

_What's this new order going to be called?_  
The Crimson Order. The reason for Mage Queen naming it that will not be apparent for quite some time, but I'll tell you now that it involves blood.

_Who's all apart of it?_  
Ah, but that's a secret! Mmm...without spoiling anything vital, I can tell you there's more than one Weasley, Tom the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron, our beloved eccentric wand maker Olivander, a certain lycanthrope (well, he's not a member YET), the sexy Potions Master of Hogwarts, and a "loony" Ravenclaw I'm quite fond of. Hermoine, Ron, Neville and Ginny will be joining eventually, as well as a few others. Have to get Harry settled in first. And I'll be resurrecting one of the most beloved characters, the death of whom makes me want to chew savagely on my copy of Order of the Phoenix.

And now, on to the fic!

* * *

**Last time:**  
_From behind him, another person entered the room via floo._

_Percy walked calmly out of the fireplace with an uncharacteristic smirk, his eyes shining yellow like a cat's in the dark._

_Harry could think of only one thing to say._

_"Crap."

* * *

_"You're not Percy!" Harry gasped, backing towards the door and drawing his wand. 

Percy actually looked a bit shocked at Harry's exclamation.

"Of course I'm Percy." he replied indignantly.

"Percy Weasley does not have glowing yellow eyes." Harry said slowly, not taking his eyes off the Percy-imposter. "Your eyes are!"

"What?" Percy paused and looked thoughtful. "Oh. That." he said simply.

"Yes. That." Harry ground out, glaring angrily at him.

"It's just a spell." the older wizard explained casually. "It's pitch dark in here. The spell that allows floo travel through realms requires complete darkness. But of course people need to be able to see, so there's a spell on the room to allow night vision. It makes a human's eyes more like a cat's. It'll end once we leave the room." At Harry's disbelieving stare, he quickly added. "Your eyes are glowing too!"

"They are?"

"Yes. Wanna see?" Percy pulled a black hand mirror from his coat. Holding it up to Harry, he continued, "I got this from Lady Tala in case something went wrong, but it should work as a normal mirror as well."

Harry gasped. In the mirror, his own eyes were yellow, slitted and glowing slightly. "Wow." he breathed, reaching up and touching his face. "They are."

However, his face suddenly melted away and the scowling, darkened face of a young woman with angry violet eyes replaced it. Unable to control himself, he cried out in shock and stepped back quickly.

"Oops." Percy muttered somewhat sheepishly and turned the mirror back to face him.

"What are you doing?" the woman demanded angrily. "Have you got the boy yet?"

"Yes, Lady." Percy replied humbly.

"Then take him to a room and report to the throne room. Mage Queen wants to see you."

Percy let out a rather undignified squeak. "Me?"

"Yes. You." the woman replied coldly. "And smarten yourself up first! You look like an imbecile!"

There was a sharp crack as the polished surface of the mirror broke, rendering it useless before it dissolved completely.

Standing straight backed, Percy said stiffly, "We should go."

"No." Harry replied. "Not until you tell me where I am and what's going on."

Percy scowled. "Harry, it's not everyday someone is summoned before Mage Queen. And although Mage Queen herself is rather benevolent, Lady Tala is not. She'll skin me alive and feed me to something very unpleasant if I don't hurry."

"Well, I guess you'd better explain fast then." Harry responded, crossing his arms defiantly.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Percy said, "Very well. The short-short version. This is a different realm entirely called the Veil."

Hearing that, Harry opened his mouth, but was stopped by a sharp gesture from Percy. "Don't ask questions or I'll stun you and be done with it."

Harry closed his mouth with a resounding snap.

"The Veil is a gathering of races, mostly mages, from many different worlds, including the Wizarding World. It is ruled by it's founder, Mage Queen. We call her Mage Queen because that is what she is, the greatest mage in existence. The warriors of the People of the Veil are called the Crimson Order. I myself have been a member for three years. We are not evil. We don't even believe in the concept of evil as you know it. We exist to protect the weak, fight the good fight and all those noble things. You're here so we can protect you, to the best of my knowledge. I was told to bring you here. I wasn't told why exactly. I would, however, like to apologize for tricking you, but it was nessacery. Actually, I thought I was going to have to end up stunning you and bringing you here by force. I didn't even have a plan until I was on your doorstep. There were so many holes and inconsistencies in my story, it's laughable."

"Yes. I realize that now." Harry responded absently. "It's amazing how clear the past can be in hindsight. I was an idiot for trusting you like that. You could have been a Death Eater in disguise."

"I doubt a Death Eater could have gotten through the wards surrounding your house. They were quite a work of art. They let in friendly wizards, but not those wishing to harm you. I dare say my friend would have a field day with it, her being a Shield Mage."

"Speaking of blood wards, what did you really do to the Dursley's?" Harry asked curiously.

Percy chuckled a bit, startling Harry. Somehow, he didn't think he'd ever seen Percy laugh like that before.

"The Twins have been trying to teach me Enchantment for years and I've never been able to understand it. Finally they gave up and helped me modify wizarding magic to achieve basically the same results. What I did was cast a modified version of the Imperious on them, anchoring it in their souls and thereby making it unbreakable. They'll live their remaining lives completely oblivious to magic, even if it were to conjure two dozen dancing poodle patronus in a tutus right in front of them. As well, no magic will effect them, so they'll be safe from wizards wishing them harm unless they use muggle means."

"You cast an Unforgivable?" Harry asked shocked.

Percy scowled once again. "I don't think you're one to criticize me for using an Unforgivable. I believe you have had first hand experience with the Cruciatus."

"Well, yeah, but...YOU cast an Unforgivable? Perfect Prefect Percy for whom school rules were a divine mandate?"

Letting out a sigh, Percy replied, "Harry, you'll soon learn that your concepts of light and dark, good and evil, do not apply here. Wizards are quick to condemn a certain magic because of what it has been used for in the past by evil people, not stopping to think that the same spell can be used for good. No one even remembers the origins of the Killing Curse anymore. It was created by a mediwitch for soldiers fatally wounded in battle. Rather than letting them suffer needlessly for days on end, she gave them a swift and painless death. Of course, I'm not really qualified to teach you these things. I'm still in training myself. So, have you heard enough for now?"

"I think so." Harry replied, moving to the door which he only now realized he could, indeed, see clearly even in the pitch black room. "I guess we can go now. I don't want to get you in any trouble."

With a small, yet warm smile, Percy opened the door and temporarily blinded both of them.

"Ah! Bloody hell!" Percy cried out, shielding his eyes. "Someone hit the lights!"

The light streaming in quickly vanished, only a few torches on the walls of the outside room illuminating the darkness.

"Sorry!" a man's voice called out.

Percy grabbed Harry by the arm and they both stumbled out and into a medium sized circular room with doors all along the walls, much like the one they had just come from. Wobbling slightly, their heads still spinning from the sudden assault of light, Percy looked around the room and pinned a glare on a man standing to one side. His brown breeches were dusty and his gray tunic slightly frayed and torn. In his hand he held a leather bound book and he looked decidedly worried as Percy advanced on him.

"Why," Percy ground out, "do you think this is called a Dark Room? Hm? Why is that? Could it be because eyes need time to adjust? Did you even read the sign by the door? The one that says 'lights out'? Could you not comprehend it? It's two simple words. Not even an Aspirant would make such a stupid mistake!"

"Apprentice!" another voice called out, pulling Percy's attention away from the poor frightened man.

Glancing toward one of the other doors, Harry saw a tall, well muscled man with red hair and a serious expression. His arms were crossed and he did not look happy. He was eyeing Percy disdainfully.

"Master Jomil!" Percy exclaimed, backing away from him and closer to Harry, unconsciously putting himself between Harry and the man.

"Why are you tormenting that Entrant?" the man asked gruffly. When Percy opened his mouth to reply, the man snapped at him, "Nevermind! I don't care for your reasons!"

The man strode angrily forward, causing Percy to back up even farther. Beyond the open door the man had come through, Harry could make out several figures watching the confrontation with interest.

"You're too full of yourself, boy." Jomil growled, poking Percy in the chest. "One day someone's gonna take you down a few notches and by God I hope it's me!"

Before Harry's brain had a chance to intercede, his mouth ran away from him.

"Leave him alone!" Harry exclaimed, stepping around Percy and putting himself in between them. Percy looked at him in astonishment and with a hint of fear, while the man guffawed loudly.

"You must be pretty sure of yourself, boy!" he laughed cruelly. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"I don't care." Harry growled back at him. "No one insults my friends like that."

Hedwig hooted her agreement from Harry's shoulder and the man glanced at her and then back to Harry. For several moments, a silent war of wills waged between them as they stared into each other's eyes. Harry had experience with strong willed and often arrogant individuals; Hermoine and her studying obsession, Ron and chess, Snape and Occlumency training. He had even stood up to Voldemort without flinching. This man was no challenge.

After a moment, the large man looked away and sneered. "I don't have time to deal with rabble. Unlike you, I have things to do."

With that, he strode across the room and entered one of the many doors. Once it shut behind him, Percy spun Harry around and stared at him.

"Harry, do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Not really." Harry responded with an easy smile. "But I couldn't just let him insult you like that."

A weak laugh came from across the room and both wizards turned, just remembering the cause of the whole mess.

"An Apprentice?" the man chuckled. "Here I thought you were someone important and you're just an Apprentice?"

Percy growled at him, "I am a Second Apprentice to a Whisper and I am very close to concluding my training. If I were you, I would show respect for one skilled in such an art!"

For a moment, Harry thought he saw the man pale.

"Red Bird." a voice called.

A young woman in a deep purple gown and black cloak stood in the doorway. Her long black hair casting her face in shadow.

"My Mistress is growing impatient." she said, eyeing Percy with an eerie calm. "I will take the boy. Tend to your duties."

Percy bowed regally from the waist. "Yes, my lady." Turning to Harry, he said quietly, "Don't worry. She won't hurt you. I have to go, but I'll come find you as soon as possible."

After receiving a nod from Harry, Percy all but raced out of the room.

The unknown woman turned penetrating blue eyes on Harry and motioned him over.

He crossed the room and stood before her warily.

"I am called Raven." she said, her voice low. "I am an Apprentice of the Dark Arts. I will take you to your room."

* * *

_A/N_ Sorry for the wait. I wasn't satisfied with this chapter and went back and changed a few things. Namely this chapter originally had Percy forcefully dragging a resisting Harry out of the room and down the halls, Harry getting a few good kicks and punches in thinking he's been kidnapped, and finally locking him in another room without an explanation, followed by Percy's meeting with Mage Queen. It was quite funny, but didn't work overall. Then I decided it would go a good ways toward earning his trust if Percy just explained some. Then I figured, hey, why not go ahead and introduce a couple OCs. I'll let you know a few things now. 

1. The large angry man, Jomil, will only have a very small part.  
2. The rude guy terrified of Percy will most likely not reappear.  
3. The woman, Raven, will have a bit of a larger part, but is still pretty much a background character.  
4. Raven is not her real name.  
5. Raven is a Dark Elf.  
6. I will explain about the terms used in this chapter, (Aspirant, Entrant, etc...) next chapter.

And finally, some of the characters have theme music. Would anyone be at all interested in hearing it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The New Order  
**Author:** Mistress Nika  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** Before his sixth year, Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by someone he does not expect. He is then swept into a world of magic where Light and Dark are not always Good and Evil. The Crimson Order, led by the mysterious Mage Queen, have taken it upon themselves to teach Harry to not only be powerful, but to be the leader the wizarding world needs.  
**Warnings:** OOCness (though I hope it's explained), OC's (only supporting the HP cast), slash, passing twincest, bad language, Powerful!Harry, DarkButNotEvil!Harry, possible hints of sex and dirty jokes  
**Couples:** Ron/Hermoine, minor Fred/George, Sirius/Remus  
**Possible Couples:** Harry/Percy, Harry/Severus, Harry/Draco, Harry/Lucius, Hermoine/Luna (I'm leaning toward Harry/Percy and later Harry/Lucius. Speak now or forever hold your peace.)

**Questions/Points from last chapter:**  
_noway...you CAN NOT make PERCY Harry's first lover!_ Who says Percy is his first lover? Harry couldn't have been involved with someone before? Who says he's his lover at all? Just because they may have a romantic relationship doesn't mean they're gonna be shagging like bunnies! Gawd! Fangirls! 'throws up her hands in disgust' A pairing does not always equal sex!

_Laughs Aspirant. Sounds like asprin. Do people need them alot around them? (I'm assuming they are the lowest level students/people)_ 'laughs as well' I didn't realize that, but it is kinda funny sounding come to think of it. Yeah, it's explained this chapter. There are usually a fair number of them around. And you assume correct, not counting the Entrants.

_What is a "whisper" (Did I spell that right?)_ Yep, you spelled it right. _Are there all sorts of other magical races from other fantasy games/books?_ Yep! They're not really from certain games/books. They're just from general mythology. As well as a few that I've completely made up and would be more like aliens.

_I believe a Harry/Percy pairing would fit well here. If your intending on making Harry Politically powerful it would be an excellent match._ Yes, he will be very politically powerful, both in the wizarding world as well as the Veil. Thanks for your support!

_PLEASE BRING SIRIUS BACK! I mean come on its already called the veil. sounds a little familiar doesnt it?_ O.O I assure you, it's intentional. Our beloved Padfoot IS coming back.

_PLS have Gred and Forge find out!_ Who do you think taught him how? 'winks' _At least the Dursleys are happy now! They hate magic, now they think magic don't exist! _ Yep, I actually pity the Dursleys. They're magic phobic with a super famous magical nephew. Now they can have the happy little magicless life they always dreamed of.

_I've never read a HP fic with a drow in it..._ Really? Wow. Come to think of it, neither have I. O.o _you are now declared 'Ultimate Cool!'_ 'grins and dances' _I like the way you're making everything fit together. A lot of stories I read have a good plot base, but that's about it._ You should see my notes. 'sweatdrop'

* * *

**Last Chapter:  
**_After receiving a nod from Harry, Percy all but raced out of the room._

_The unknown woman turned penetrating blue eyes on Harry and motioned him over._

_He crossed the room and stood before her warily._

_"I am called Raven." she said, her voice low. "I am an Apprentice of the Dark Arts. I will take you to your room."_

* * *

**  
**Percy ran full tilt down halls and through gathering rooms, not stopping to apologize as he knocked over a man carrying a stack of books and frightened a group of studying students as he plowed through the middle of them. Pulling out his wand, he transfigured his garish muggle suit into more respectable wizard's robes. A young child in his path shrieked as she saw the wizard charging toward her with his wand out. Percy skipped to the side just as the child's mother pulled her into her arms muttering about crazed wizards. 

Stowing his wand quickly away in his sleeve, he skidded to a halt outside a set of large, black and very imposing double doors. Two large men in red armor and black capes stood to each side of the doors. Panting heavily, Percy ran a hand through his hair and straightened his robes.

One of the guards snickered discreetly. "Go on in." he said with a barely hidden smile of amusement.

Percy nodded and crept to the door as if expecting it to come alive and attack him at any moment. Putting his hand on the handle, he pushed it open slowly, peeking around the edge and into the darkness beyond. He couldn't see anything.

"Are you sure they're--?" he started, but the burly guard put a hand on his back and pushed, sending him hurtling inside and the door slammed quickly shut behind him echoing eerily in the seemingly empty room he now stood in.

Outside the guard looked at his comrade and laughed. "I love the newbies."

---

Harry studied the woman before him carefully. Raven watched him with eerily calm crystalline blue eyes, unnerving him greatly and making him shift nervously. Her long black hair fell loose about her form reaching to her waist like an ebony silken veil. Her nose was small and hawkish, though not at all unpleasant, lending a sharp sort of beauty to an overall regal and imposing countenance. Harry realized that at a mere 5'6" he was nearly taller than her.

"Follow me." she commanded and turned to lead him from the room.

As she turned, her hair shifted and Harry thought he caught a glimpse of a pointed ear before it fell back into place.

As she strode quickly from the room, her cloak whipping around her in a flourish that would have made Snape proud, the crowd gathered outside the doors parted quickly. Harry hurried to catch up with her rapidly retreating form.

Down one torch lit hall and up another, Harry noticed that the walls were made of a carved tan stone and were entirely windowless as if they were in a series of cave tunnels. People lingered here and there, some watching them with interest.

A fair few wore standard wizarding style robes and cloaks. A couple were clad in tunics and leather breeches. Some wore muggle style clothing and yet still others wore clothes like he had never seen before.

The wide variety of races present was a bit startling. A witch with a pointed hat passed by talking animatedly with a man with a feline tail and ears perched atop his head that swiveled Harry's way as they passed and then back to the woman beside him. What might have been a grinning vampire spoke with an attractive young woman covered from head to toe in bronze scales. The woman quickly turned outraged, her scales flushing a deep red as she slapped the vampire and stormed off in a huff. A group of laughing children with golden eyes and prominent fangs growled and tackled each other playfully as they ran by chased by an irate goblin.

"What is this place?" Harry breathed to himself, not really expecting the reply that came.

"These are the caves of Merakyn," Raven responded in her cool voice without slowing her pace. "They are the lowest level of the city of Talara. Most of the younger inhabitants live and train here, as well as most of the Order. The caves are the stronghold; the safest place in the entire city and stretch for several miles in each direction beyond the bounds of the above city. Mage Queen's chambers are in these caves, as well as her throne room. Another throne room exists above ground, but it's rarely used. Above the caves are three underground levels used for varying purposes. On the surface sits Talara Palace which is restricted to those authorized by Lady Tala or Mage Queen. It's used for diplomatic meetings and housing foreign dignitaries. There are several exits from the underground system that do not involve the palace and are used for general travel. Talara is ruled by Lady Tala, despite Mage Queen's presence. Mage Queen usually resides at the Palace of Eternal Night, but is currently present in order to tend to some business."

Pausing to open a nondescript door which Harry quickly realized led to a small bedroom, Raven motioned him inside and followed, shutting the door behind her. The room was sparsely furnished. A single bed was pressed against the wall, a night stand beside it and a plain wooden trunk shoved in the corner at it's foot. A simple desk and chair sat against the left wall.

Raven seated herself in the chair and Harry hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed. Hedwig left Harry's shoulder to perch on the headboard. Raven's eyes continued to bore into him, causing him to shift yet again, as she continued speaking.

"Normally, I would not bother myself with you. However, Mage Queen has asked me personally to explain some of our world."

She paused and Harry had the feeling she was looking for a response of some kind, so he nodded hesitantly. This seemed to appease her and she continued.

"Our world, called the Veil, is a world entirely separate from your Earth. There are an infinite number of such worlds, all with their own races and cultures. The Veil, however, is different. It is an artificial world created and maintained solely by the force of Mage Queen's power. No other has ever managed such a feat, so you understand why we respect her above all others and call her as we do. Mage Queen is ageless and all powerful within her realm. No one knows exactly what Mage Queen is or where she comes from. Most assume she is one of the old gods of another long forgotten world. One day long ago she became angry with the predijuces and hatred present in most worlds and so founded her own. Into the Veil, she brought the persecuted, the hated, the feared and the misunderstood of other races. She gave them a place to belong and be free. Still, despite her power, she is but one person. Therefore, she founded the Crimson Order to help her in her task.

"The name of the Order is rumored to have come from the fact that, no matter our differences, our blood ties us together. Of course, no one knows the true origins for certain. The Crimson Order is a group of warriors who fight for peace on any world that asks for our aid with the unifying goal of peaceful coexistence for all races. We also maintain the balance between worlds. Should one invade another without just cause, we would immediately step in. The Order regularly rescues those who are persecuted unjustly, even to the point of moving entire species here. Because of that, a world that once had no intelligent life now flourishes with towns, villages and cities, all under the benevolent rule of Mage Queen. Her presence keeps the peace between races who, under normal circumstances, would be violent enemies. Vampires and Werewolves, to use an example from your world. Here they coexist peacefully, for the most part. The occasional skirmish is, after all, unavoidable.

"The Crimson Order has allies on many different worlds, even those where the Order is not generally known. Your world is one of these. Your world remains ignorant of our existence while we continue to work in secret, helping those who need it. There are many witches and wizards here, as well as other races from your world. They are bound to keep our secret under penalty of death. We do not tolerate traitors."

Harry gulped at the hard look in her icy eyes. Obviously one of the worst things you could be here was a traitor.

"There are several things you should know, before interacting with the general populace. First, we have a very strict caste system. This is to ensure one does not injure themselves or others by dabbling in forces beyond their control.

"Entrants are those seeking entrance into the Order. They have formally made the request, but have not yet been accepted. They are normally young children from this world or adults from other worlds who were not originally invited to join.

"Aspirants are those who've just begun their training. They are given a guide if they are not Veilborn to teach them our ways and are taught in a group the basics that every Order member should know; a bit like schoolchildren.

"Apprentices are those who've finished basic training and chosen a magical path. If their path is a popular one, they are taught in a small group by a master of that art. If it is not a popular one or is particularly difficult to master, they are taught one on one by their Master. A sub-caste of the Apprentice is the Initiates. They have completed their training and are in the month long phase in which they undergo testing to determine if they are ready to become a Master.

"Primani are those who have finished all training required to become a true member of the Crimson Order and have mastered at least one Art. You could call them the general soldiers of the Order, I suppose. They are the ones who regularly venture into battle.

"The Sworn are those who have taken the Oath, swearing loyalty to Mage Queen above all others. This is entirely voluntary and is for life. They could be seen as the warrior priests and priestess of the Veil.

"Whispers are an elite group of Primani who undergo very special training. They are broken into two separate sects; the Sleepers and the Anashin. Sleepers are spies who infiltrate other worlds and report back. Anashin are the spies who's duties extend to assassination. They are dangerous beyond most others and are able to blend in anywhere. The truth of who among the Whispers are Sleepers and who are Anashin is carefully guarded, known only to other Whispers. Because of this, Whispers in general are given great respect as you never know if you're talking to a spy or an assassin.

"The last are the Crimson Guard, powerful warriors who protect Mage Queen. They are usually masters of several different Arts and are extremely dangerous. However, the chance of encountering one is relatively small as they have their own private quarters near Mage Queen and will join her when she leaves. They rarely show themselves among the general population, staying by her side at all times.

"The inhabitants of the Veil not involved with the Order are mostly exempt from this caste system. However, each large city is ruled by a Lord or Lady appointed by Mage Queen. Talara is ruled by Lady Tala. It is the oldest and most fortified city and the headquarters of the Crimson Order. The largest and most prosperous city is Valera ruled by Lord Kyros, High Priest of the Veil. He is Mage Queen's closest advisor and friend. The capital city and home of Mage Queen is Samaria. Though the city itself is small, with only High Mages and the Sworn as it's residents, at the center is the Palace of Eternal Night. Samaria rests in a valley where the sun never reaches, bordered by high mountains whose peaks are surrounded in dark clouds. It is the focal point of all power in the Veil.

"Do you understand everything I have told you so far?"

Harry nodded. He may need a few refresher courses on the fine points later on, but he got the general idea.

"Good. Now I will tell you about the common types of magic taught here. Once you have begun classes, your teacher will explain more clearly, so I will only give a brief overview.

"There are ten basic types of magic. Elemental Magic is the control and manipulation of the elements. Mental and Soul Magic are self explanatory. Transformational Magic is the art of changing one thing into another. Support Magic is classified as a form of magic unable to be used to attack an enemy. Weapons Magic is the concentration of magical energy into a weapon used in combat. Summoning Magic is the ability to summon sentient creatures to do your bidding. Born Magic are abilities a person is born with and require no in depth training to master. Arcane Magic are abilities achieved through intensive study and committing to memory various spells, formulae and rituals. Preternatural Magic is very dangerous and rare, usually demanding a price from the user. The last and most powerful form of magic is Divine Magic.

"Of course, each race has specific abilities that others do not and are not classified into one of these forms. Wizards in particular, such as yourself.

"Do you have any questions?"

Harry blinked. Questions? Of course he had questions. Where to start?

"Why am I here exactly?" he asked.

"That's not for me to say." Raven replied stoically. "If the situation were normal, I would say you were recognized to have abilities surpassing the majority of your race or were in a political position that could be useful to the Order. However, as you are a mere boy and yet you rate the personal attention of the most powerful people of our world, that idea is invalid. I am assuming my Mistress, Lady Tala, will explain this soon. She is not one to procrastinate."

"Your Mistress?"

"I am Apprentice to Lady Tala. She is teaching me the ways of Dark Magic. Is there anything else?"

"Um, yeah. Do I have a choice in all this? How long are you gonna keep me here? Can I see my friends? Why's Percy here? What exactly are you, cause you don't seem...human? Can I use magic now? Will the Ministry find out and expel me if I do? Can I return to Hogwarts? Will you guys help defeat Voldemort? If this place is called the Veil, do you know anything about Sirius? Can Remus come here? I bet he'd like it. You guys have werewolves, right? What about the Order of the Phoenix? Can they find me here?"

As Harry paused to breath, Raven found it her turn to blink in surprise. After taking a moment to digest the rapid-fire questions, she actually crooked a small smile.

"Yes, you have a choice. Mage Queen is all about freedom, if you'll remember. She would never force you to remain. If you choose to stay and undergo training, there is no telling how long you'll be here until you know what areas of magic you will study. You may see your friends at anytime, provided you keep our secret from them. I don't know who 'Percy' is, so I can't help you there. Exactly, I am a Dark Elf from the world of Kanaau. Yes, you may use magic here without being discovered by your government. I'm afraid I don't know what 'Hogwarts' is either, but I'm sure you'll be able to return there eventually. I also don't know who 'Voldemort' is, but after training I doubt you will need our help to defeat him, unless he is a mage. If you're looking for a specific person who came here, you'll have to ask Mage Queen. She's the only one who could help you. If 'Remus' is a Werewolf, he will most likely be welcome here. Of course, you'll have to ask my Mistress. I've never heard of the 'Order of the Phoenix', but if they are an order from your world, they will not be able to find you here."

Harry blinked yet again before a large grin broke out over his face. This definitely looked promising.

---

Percy crept slowly through the darkness, unknowing of where he was going until a glint of silver near the far wall stopped him. A light suddenly snapped on above him making him jump in surprise and illuminating him while leaving most of the darkness intact.

In the dim light, he could now make out the vague shapes of two figures in shadow.

One was standing to the side of the other with a high ponytail and narrowed violet eyes that gleamed with malice. Her right hand rested on the sword at her hip, the other lost in the folds of her black cloak. On her forehead rested a simple black metal band.

The other was sitting on a large black throne. All he could see of that one was long jet black hair that flowed down onto the floor and the light glinting off a black crown that wrapped around her head at the hairline with a large silver disc in the middle. Clear jewels on silver threads trailed from the crown down her hair past her shoulders. Liquid silver eyes slowly rose and rested on him.

Immediately realizing who this person was, Percy dropped to one knee and bowed his head low.

"Mage Queen!" he gasped.

He couldn't believe it. If the stories were true, he was kneeling before a living goddess!

A silken voice drifted through the darkness, little more than a whisper but ringing clearly nonetheless.

"I have chosen you as the boy's guide." the voice said neutrally. "Teach him and protect him, for he is a precious treasure and the only hope your world has left. Do not fail me."

Percy's eyes went wide. Obviously Harry was special, but for Mage Queen to speak of him like that had to mean he was important to more than just the Wizarding World. After all, there were hundreds of other worlds allied with Mage Queen and she had never bothered with their internal politics.

"Majesty," he said in his most humble voice, "I am honored you would choose me for this task. I promise I won't fail you."

"Heads up!" Tala's voice snapped.

Percy raised his head just in time to catch the object she sent hurtling toward him. Turning it over in his hand, he found it to be a small mirror with black glass on a silver chain.

Daring to look up in confusion, he found Mage Queen watching him in what could have been veiled amusement while Tala glared as always.

"Give it to the boy." Tala commanded. "Make sure he wears it."

Percy nodded and tucked the pendant into a pocket of his cloak. "Yes, my lady."

Mage Queen spoke again in her strangely soft voice that somehow radiated otherworldly power.

"Go. I will send for you both when he is ready."

Not daring to question her, he rose to his feet and bowed from the waist before turning and walking out the door.

In the darkness, violet eyes turned to meet quicksilver. A small smile bloomed on the dark warrior's face as she looked at her queen and the anger bled from her face.

"Lagran's right." Tala said, a smirk in her voice. "He's a kiss ass. A weak one at that."

Mage Queen chuckled, her laugh a dark cadence. "Tala, be good." she scolded her right hand in amusement. Looking toward the far door with a faraway expression, she murmured, "He has potential."

* * *

A/N - I just know I lost over half of you with the explaination. 'sweatdrop' 

1. Mage Queen is NOT a goddess! They just think she is since she created the world they live on and is so mysterious. (Goddess in my mind equals Mary Sue. No one in this story is truely all powerful.) She is, however, an immortal being. I'm not telling you what. 'grins'  
2. If you notice the fact that certain words such as werewolf and wizard are capitilized when others speak, but not when Harry does; it is not a typo. It's because the People of the Veil think of them as proper nouns, while Harry does not...yet.  
3. Tala's not a bitch, I swear!  
4. Yes, Percy is incredibly OOC, but it will be explained. Next chapter I hope. Just give him the benefit of the doubt for now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The New Order  
**Author:** Mistress Nika  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** Before his sixth year, Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by someone he does not expect. He is then swept into a world of magic where Light and Dark are not always Good and Evil. The Crimson Order, led by the mysterious Mage Queen, have taken it upon themselves to teach Harry to not only be powerful, but to be the leader the wizarding world needs.  
**Warnings:** OOCness, OC's, slash, passing twincest, bad language, Powerful!Harry, DarkButNotEvil!Harry, possible hints of sex and dirty jokes  
**Couples:** Ron/Hermoine, minor Fred/George, Sirius/Remus  
**Possible Couples**: Harry/Draco, Harry/Lucius, Harry/Percy  
**Disclaimer:** Don't own Harry Potter. Do own my OCs.

Questions from last chapter:  
_Is Harry going to learn quick and be powerful?_ Maybe. Powerful, yes. All powerful, no.  
_What happened to Percy anyway?_ A lot of things, which he will eventually explain.

* * *

After searching for nearly half an hour, Percy finally stopped someone and asked if they had seen where Harry had been taken. Lucky for him, they did and directed him to one of the private student rooms. He mentally berated himself for not thinking to ask before he left the throne room. 

Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened and Raven peered out at him.

"Oh, it's you." she stated before stepping back to allow him entrance.

Entering the room, he found Harry laying on the bed, one leg dangling off and an arm thrown over his head as if to block out the light.

"He has a headache." Raven explained calmly.

"My head feels like it's going to explode." Harry groaned, not bothering to look at them. "Are words leaking out my ears? 'Cause I haven't had to absorb this much information at once since first year."

"I will call for a healer." Raven said, walking around Percy and through the still open door without a second glance at the two.

Percy shut the door behind her and took her place in the chair.

"You okay, Harry?" he asked softly, not wanting to make the boy's headache worse, or enrage him. He'd heard tales of Harry's temper.

Harry slowly, carefully turned his head to the side, pinning Percy with a chilling glare. "You," he intoned. "If I could get up, I would hurt you, a lot."

Percy shivered, hoping absently there wouldn't be a healer available for some time and that he'd be far away from the raven haired boy by the time there was.

"Sorry?" he said, hoping to placate him.

"I don't know how, but you've managed to screw up my already screwed up life even more." Rolling his head back to stare at the ceiling, he continued, "This is a whole new level of screwed up!"

"It wasn't really me." Percy attempted. "They just sent me because you know me. Well, sort of."

Glaring at the red head once more, Harry demanded, "What the hell's the matter with you anyway? You're like a completely different person."

Drawing himself up proudly, Percy responded, "I'm a spy, Harry. The Percy Weasley who's a stuck up git, never breaks a rule and follows Fudge around like a lost puppy is a carefully crafted image in order for me to gather useful information."

"That's a lie!" two voices chorused as one from the door.

Harry barely contained a rather undignified shriek upon seeing the identical grinning faces of Fred and George Weasley protruding from the wooden surface of his door.

"He's still a-"

"-stuck up git!"

Sitting up quickly and regretting it as his vision swam, he cried in shock, "Fred? George?"

"Ten points for-"

"-the boy wonder!"

The bodies of the twins quickly followed their heads through the door as if it weren't there.

Percy sighed and stood to face the two. "What are you-?"

However, he never managed to finish that sentence as two flying black furballs followed the twins through the door and proceeded to pounce Harry back onto the bed. Harry gasped as he suddenly found himself faced with what appeared to be two purring black cats with wings. One licked his face as the other curled up on his chest, tucking it's head under a black feathered wing and falling happily asleep.

"What?" he gasped in shock.

"That would be Felix." one twin said, pointing to the winged cat licking his cheek.

"And that's Ferix." the other said, pointing to the lightly dozing ball of fur and feathers.

"They're our familiars."

"They seem to like you!"

"That...that's great." Harry murmured dumbly, not sure what to make of the strange, yet friendly creatures. "Could you get them off?"

"Where would be the-"

"-fun in that?"

Hedwig, who had remained carefully silent until now, let out a loud hoot and eyed the two cats fiercely. Hearing that, both cats shot upright and their heads swiveled around to face her. A war of wills played out as all three animals stared each other down, before Felix yowled angrily and both cats pounced the helpless owl. Fur and feathers flew. A flash of red signaled the arrival of yet another animal combatant into the fray as a small red bird began pecking savagely at the two cat's heads.

"Hedwig!" Harry gasped and went for his wand. "Incarcerous!"

Ropes quickly bound the two cats and, as Harry's head spun wildly as he tried to stand up, Percy picked up Hedwig and checked her over for injuries, a small red Robin perched on his shoulder looking immensely proud of itself.

"We're sorry!" the twins chimed as they picked up their miffed familiars and began backing towards the door.

"We'll just-"

"-go now!"

"Bye!"

Unfortunately the door had been opened sometime before. A tall man with salt and pepper hair was scowling at the occupants of the room with an impassive Raven at his side.

"This room is cramped." he said gruffly, eyeing the three Weasleys. "You three, out!"

"But I'm his-!" Percy tried to protest, but was grabbed by his robes by the burly man and dragged out the door behind the twins as his bird protested loudly.

Raven plucked Hedwig from Percy's arms as they passed and returned to her seat.

"This is Bruno." she said, examining Hedwig's ruffled feathers. "He is a healer. Your owl seems fine." The traumatized owl remained where she was.

Returning to the room, the large man, Bruno, slammed the door and shook his hand. "Damn bird pecked me." he growled, delving into a pouch at his waist and pulling out a green bottle. He then thrust it at Harry, the liquid inside sloshing around. "Drink." he commanded. "Headache."

Harry took the potion without argument and downed it in one gulp. He was mildly surprised by the tasty mint flavor, his headache disappearing almost immediately. As he passed the bottle back, he thanked the man politely and sat up.

Bruno's lips quirked into a half smirk. "At least one of you Wizards has manners." he said in mild amusement before he turned and left.

Raven smiled slightly at Harry's befuddled look. "He may seem crass, but he's a wonderful healer. He's used to treating injured soldiers, which may explain his harsh demeanor. If you feel well enough, there are a few more things I must tell you."

Harry gave a nasty look. "More?"

"Not to worry." she replied, standing up and setting Hedwig on the desk. "I just have to tell you that it is late and you should sleep now. In the morning, your guide will take you to breakfast and then to the Specularis Lacuna. Then you'll meet Mage Queen and begin training."

Without another word, the dark woman swept from the room, leaving Harry alone.

* * *

A/N - Yes, it's short. I apologize. 

Next chapter:  
Harry gets a couple suprises and springs a few on others, then begins training.

* * *

I've heard we're not allowed to respond to reviews anymore, but I haven't seen this rule anywhere on the site. Can someone tell me where people are getting this from?  



	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The New Order  
**Author:** Mistress Nika  
**Rating:** PG-13 (because I can never keep it completely clean)  
**Summary:** Before his sixth year, Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by someone he does not expect. He is then swept into a world of magic where Light and Dark are not always Good and Evil. The Crimson Order, led by the mysterious Mage Queen, have taken it upon themselves to teach Harry to not only be powerful, but to be the leader the wizarding world needs.  
**Warnings:** OOCness, OC's (only supporting the HP cast), slash, passing twincest, bad language, PowerfulHarry, DarkButNotEvilHarry, possible hints of sex and dirty jokes, BastardRon, ManipulativeDumbledore  
**Couples:** Harry/Draco, Fred/George, Sirius/Remus, Lucius/Severus

* * *

I appologize for the long wait and short chapter. There's nothing like having your work called disgusting filth promoting pedophila and bestiality to deflate your ego. Suffice to say, I didn't want to write at all for a while there. Normally, insults like that don't effect me. However, when it comes from what I might consider otherwise intelligent people, it can be a bit disappointing.As for this story, I've done a bit of altering of the plot, though nothing major. I did, however, decide who to pair Harry with...finally.

* * *

**Chapter Five:**  
Harry awoke to soft but insistent knocking on his door. Throwing out his hand in the darkness, he groped for his glasses on the night stand and when he connected, slid them on. In the pitch black of his room, his body insisted it was still night and that he should go back to sleep. His brain, however, managed to convince his body that as they were underground, it could be noon for all he knew. 

Grabbing his wand from under his pillow, he muttered, _"Tempus"_ groggily. Glowing numbers informed him it was just after six.

In an effort to make the annoying pounding stop, he called out, "Yeah?"

The door opened to admit a smiling Percy, dim light falling into the room from the corridor behind him. With a wave of his hand, the red haired Wizard lit the wall mounted crystal globes, illuminating the room.

"Rise and shine." he chirped happily.

Harry just flopped bonelessly back onto his bed. Oh, how he hated morning people.

"You'll get used to the time difference pretty quickly." Percy continued, blissfully unaware of the dark cloud looming over him compliments of a groggy Harry. "Well, either that or you'll have a nervous breakdown. The time here's not really that different from what you're used to though. Only a few hours. You should be fine in a couple days."

_"Silencio."_ Harry shot absently in a daze, hoping for just ten more minutes of sleep. He was therefore surprised when Percy merely held out a hand and caught the spell, stopping it effortlessly.

"Come on now," Percy continued on as if nothing odd had happened. "If we hurry we can beat most of the students to breakfast. It's absolute chaos around eight, since regular classes start at eight thirty."

Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a package wrapped in plain brown paper and tossed it onto the bed next to Harry who had sat up. "I brought you some clothes since I figured all you'd have are Muggle ones and your school robes. There's a headband in there too. Can't have people recognizing you now, can we?" he finished with a smile.

"Um, thanks." Harry muttered, picking up the package and standing. "Percy?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"You caught my spell in your hand." he said simply, staring at the other Wizard in confusion.

Percy grinned widely, causing Harry to blink at him. If he had still been a bit reluctant about the whole staying and training thing before, he wasn't now. His innate curiosity wouldn't allow him to just leave without finding out exactly how Percy had done that and if he could learn to do it as well.

"Just a simple trick." Percy said casually. "Don't tell Fred and George this, but I admit I'm not the most powerful of Mages. It helps, of course, that you were half asleep when you cast it."

With a shrug, he turned back to the door. "I have to meet with my master this morning. Get dressed and I'll be back in twenty minutes. There's a bathroom through that door."

"What door?" Harry asked in confusion, glancing around at the bare stone walls.

Percy smirked rather wickedly, waved his hand at the right wall and a wooden door appeared. "That door. If you leave any clothes in there, they'll get washed and returned to your room. I wouldn't though. They can sometimes return in pieces." He then left quickly.

Harry stared first at the door Percy left through and then at the unassuming door that hadn't been there before. He suddenly felt like a muggleborn first year getting their first taste of magic. It hadn't escaped his notice either that he had not seen Percy use his wand once since he had arrived.

Storing this away to inquire about later, he walked to the new door and opened it. Inside he found a simple bathroom made of the same carved tan stone the rest of the caves seemed to be. A bath and shower sat to one side, a toilet and sink to the other. A single shelf ran the far wall at about shoulder height and was filled with various labeled bottles of varying hues of tan, red and brown.

'They're very into earth tones,' he thought as he stripped out of his pajamas.

He showered quickly and dried off with one of the soft white towels provided, wrapping another about his waist, and returned to his room. Once through, the bathroom door disappeared. Walking to the desk where he'd left the package from Percy, he opened it and pulled out a bundle of clothes.

"More earth tones." he muttered as he examined the brown cloak.

On top of the bundle was something that stood out sharply against the simple brown clothing; a mirror pendant. Silver ivy encircled the polished black surface hanging from a sturdy silver chain. For some reason, he felt drawn to it. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from that unreflective surface. A strange, pleasant, almost musical tone filled his ears, growing louder as he reached out a hand and picked it up. The metal was slightly warm against the flesh of his palm and pulsed gently. Staring into the black mirror, he could swear there was something moving inside. The longer he stared, the clearer it became. A calm swirling of gray fog gave way to black storm clouds and what could have been a darkened mountain peak. Black lightning flashed and something glittered invitingly against that dark landscape. There was that musical tone again and he realized it wasn't from the pendant, but from the glimmer of purple light that seemed to call to him.

Unbeknownst to him, Harry's eyes had long since lost their green. Reflected in his eyes was the shadowy world within the mirror, the dark lightning and that enticing flash of something forbidden, something that was calling to him with an irresistible attraction. Raising his left hand, his fingers traced the silver ivy, moving closer to the black surface that seemed to him to be a doorway created solely for his use. He was special. He was chosen. It belonged to him. It was _his_.

Hedwig let out a loud, disgruntled hoot, drawing Harry out of some unknown trance. His eyes quickly became clear and he looked at her questioningly. She gave an irritated head bob from her cage and Harry let out an "Oh!" of understanding. Dropping the strange pendant, forgotten, back onto the pile of clothes, he rushed to feed her before she took her extended hunger out on him.

Grabbing underwear and socks from his trunk which he'd enlarged last night, he went about hurriedly dressing. He slid on the loose brown shirt provided, fumbling for a moment when he got his ear caught in the leather ties at the top, then turned to the brown leather pants and pulled them on as well. As he grabbed the cloak, a pair of shrunken boots fell out of the folds. Picking them up, he enlarged them and put them on as well. They came to mid leg, so he followed his instincts and laced them up tight over his pants. Throwing on the cloak and tying the strip of brown cloth over his forehead, making certain it covered his entire scar, he threw the pendant on, allowing it to dangle innocently against his chest just as another knock came at his door.

Harry, now fully awake, greeted Percy this time with a much improved attitude. When he inquired if the clothes were adequate, Harry replied amusedly, "I feel like an adventurer in a Muggle fantasy novel."

Percy chuckled and informed him as he led him out of the room and down the stone corridors that it was considered uniform for students, though not enforced. They passed very few and those they did encounter didn't bother to spare them even a sideways glance. Harry quickened his pace, staying close to the red haired Wizard as he noticed that each of those they passed wore armor and carried some form of weapon.

When Harry inquired, Percy explained, "Talara is currently playing host to the Antarus military. They've been allies of the Veil for a long time and when they were attacked, I'm not sure by who, they were granted use of Talara as a temporary base. Supposedly they're assembling their forces for an all out assault, but it's common knowledge that they were driven from their own base and are just hiding here to lick their wounds. Most of them are not the most pleasant of company, but they've stayed well out of the way so far. Ah, here we are. The commissary or dining hall."

Looking around, Harry noticed they were in an extremely large, open room with a high ceiling filled with long wooden tabled and benches. Against one wall, away from the traffic of the tables, were several archways leading to what may have been a kitchen. The smell of various foods was overwhelming and caused Harry's stomach to growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten dinner yesterday. Small clusters of people dotted the tables. Some had their heads together talking animatedly over their breakfast. Some reminded him of studious Ravenclaws, with books out and eating absently. A fair few appeared to be half awake teenagers. Here and there solitary people sat, eating quickly in silence and paying no attention to anyone around them. All in all, the hall appeared to be less than a quarter full, but then it was still early.

Harry was pulled out of his inspection by an exasperated exclamation from Percy of, "Oh for Merlin's sake! _Mouse!"_

Looking at the redhead confusedly, Harry gave a pretty good imitation of one of Malfoy's goons. "Huh?"

"Wait here." Percy ordered absently and began stalking towards one of the tables, specifically one that held what appeared to be a young, pink haired girl asleep face first in her plate. Several people watched in amusement as Percy picked up the girl's abandoned cup and upended it over her head, drenching her in yellow liquid.

The girl came awake with a surprised squeak. Red eyes narrowed at Percy in anger, although the bits of food clinging to her cheek and yellow liquid dripping from her nose ruined the effect. She and Percy exchanged a few heated words before she picked up a large piece of bread, threw it at him and walked out in a huff.

Percy just shook his head and walked back over to Harry. Seeing his curious confusion, he explained, "Mouse. She's always doing that."

Harry just nodded absently, as if that explained everything, and followed Percy to an empty spot at a table. He didn't think it was any of his business, even if he had noticed a tail as the girl walked away. Percy left him there momentarily, returning a few minutes later from the kitchen with two trays. He placed one in front of Harry and sat down.

"They cook for each individual race, so I got you pumpkin juice and a salad. You don't want to eat anything substantial before the Trial. I did and let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant."

"Trial?" Harry asked through a mouthful. "Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"No." Percy responded, eating his food with precision. "The Trial is just what everyone goes through when they first arrive. You get a new name and a familiar. The name is like a code name, since there are some people here, like yourself, who could be recognized and we tend to work best in anonymity. The familiar basically acts as an amplifier for magic so nonmagical people can still use it. It would be like a Squib using a one-time-use wand, only their familiar continuously recharges them. The more predatory familiars also act as protectors for their master, but most people get something less than intimidating. Like me."

With a flip of his hand, a small red bird appeared without a sound and perched on the table between the two. It watched Harry intensely for a moment before apparently deeming him trustworthy, then began picking at Percy's plate.

"Her name is Carrie." he continued, stroking the bird affectionately as it sang happily at him. "Honestly, having a familiar is more of a tradition nowadays, than a practical application. Anyway, your Order name usually has something to do with your familiar. That's why they're chosen at the same time. People don't usually use someone's real name in public around here, even if they're best friends. You never know who could be listening, so it's best to stick to Order names. Mine's Red Bird or Red for short, and if you make a joke I will seriously injure you."

Harry bit his tongue and held back the multiple responses involving birds and hair, instead settling on a cheeky grin. Percy just said, "Yeah, let's see how long you think it's funny. I bet you end up with something like Dark Lightning."

Suddenly a dark mountain, lightning and a shining something that called to him flashed across his mind. How could he forget that? Taking the pendant in his hands, he asked curiously, "Per- I mean, Red? What's this?" he asked, showing him the black mirror and ignoring the scowl Percy gave him.

With a sigh, he said, "I don't know. Lady Tala just told me to give it to you and make sure you wear it. My guess is, it's either supposed to protect you or spy on you. She uses mirrors in a variety of ways. Mostly for communication or travel, but I'm sure there are lots of other things she can do with them as well. If I were you, I wouldn't take it off. She's not someone you want to disobey."

"Oh." Harry said thoughtfully, staring into the black surface once more, wondering if he'd see anything in it again. However, it remained inanimate.

Seeing Harry's intensive study of the object, Percy asked, "Why do you ask? Did something happen?"

Harry considered telling him, but then he heard that musical tone again and felt the pull. Something seemed to whisper to him that he should keep this secret. If he told anyone, they would try to take it away from him. No, best to keep it to himself.

"No." Harry responded, tucking the pendant into his shirt. "Just wondering."

* * *

A/N Once again, I appologize. I know I said last chapter certain things would be happening in this one, but it's considerably shorter than I intended. So everything I said would happen this chapter, will in fact happen NEXT chapter. sigh 

Please review. I need the ego boost and while I refuse to hold chapters hostage for reviews, it will certainly help me write faster if I know people like it. Tell me what you like. Tell me what you hate. Tell me what you'd like to see. Just tell me something!


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